Wall covering



C. M. M CHESNEY WALL COVERING 1 April 3, 1945.

Filed Jan. 31, 1942 -A .ORN YS.

patented; A ger. 3, see

targets estates warn pertains @hester Ill. MacChcsney, iChicago, llllt, assignor to Home Steel Company, Chicago, Hill... a corpora tion of Illinois 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in walls and coverings therefor and its purpose is to provide an improved construction comprising a wall having a metallic face or outer layer possessing some resiliency and great durability as well as an attractive appearance and an adaptability for being readily cleaned. The invention is particularly adapted for use in constructing the walls of laboratories, bathrooms, laundries, shops, factories and other enclosures where a strong, durable and moisture-proof surface is desired.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved wall comprising an outer layer made up of a plurality of metal strips or slats preferably arranged in close spaced relation and preferably provided with coatings of enamel or the like adapted to give them an attractive appearance. More particularly, the improved wall covering preferably comprises a plurality of thin, flexible and resilient metal slats of concave cross, section, formed preferably by the method described and claimed in the copending application of Allen B. Wilson, Serial No. 239,229, filed November" 7, 1938, Patent No. 2,294,434, September 1, 1942, and secured to a flexible backing adapted to be attached to a wall. These slats are cemented or glued to the flexible backing sheet and this sheet is applied to the wall by glue or paste which may be applied to the whole or portions only of the wall area and which will adhere to the backing sheet along the joints between adjacent metal strips, the strips being arranged with their convex sides outwardly, thus giving the wall covering a resilient quality which enables it 20 withstand blows without permanent injury. Another object is to provide a flexible metallic vall covering which may be rolled up for con- 'enience in handling. A further object is to provide a metallic coating for walls which will be thin that it may be cut and trimmed by the usual shears to fit any wall area, thus eliminating the necessity for special tools. Other objects of the invention relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawing in which two embodi ments of the invention and two illustrations of its use are shown. In the drawing, Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a portion of a room bounded by walls which-are constructed according to the principles of the present invention; 1

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a, portion 1 855T is shown as being mounted with the slats H exbathroom showing another use of the present ln= ventlon; Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the wall covering of the present invention with a part thereof broken away;

Fig. i shows an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 4l l of Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view, similar to that of Fig. a, showing a modified form of the invention.

As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the improved wall covering it comprises a plurality of metal slats H which are glued, cemented or otherwise secured to a backing sheet i2 which may preferably be a sheet of linen or cotton cloth or paper or the like. The slats H are formed-preferably of thin strip steel which is longitudinally straight with parallel edges and which preferably has a curved cross section, the concave sides of the strips being attached to the backing sheet l2. Other'resilient metal strips having other crosssectional forms adapted to form a resilient covering may be used. These concave slats may be formed by the method described and claimed in said application of Allen B. Wilson and they are preferably comparatively thin, resilient and flexible so that they return readily to their normal shapes when bent therefrom. The edges ll of the slats .lie in close proximity to each other so that a substantially continuous metallic surface is presented by the outer face of the wall covering. when completed, the combined backing sheet and slats may be tied in rolls for shipment and be subsequently unrolled for convenient use.

In applyingthe invention to a wall, a sheet of the wall covering is laid against the wall proper, designated by the numeral I3, which may be formed of plaster, wooden boards or the like. At points along the Joints between the slats, the cloth backing I2 is united with the wall l3 by continuous layers or strips 14 of waterproof glue. cement or other suitable adhesive. By thus providinga substantial body of waterproof material along the joint, the entire wall covering is rendered substantially waterproof. The slats ll may preferably be galvanized for long life and then enameled on their outer faces before being applied to the flexible backing sheet l2 so that they present an attractive appearance and may be readily cleaned.

In Fig. l, the covering ill is shown as extending over all of the .walls from the baseboards l5 adjacent the floor ii to a molding or plastered strip H which extends around the wallsadjacent the ceiling l8. In Fig. 2, the metallic wall covering tending vertically above a bathtub 20 against the walls 2| of the bathroom, the covering ill terminating at the lower edges of a molding 22 which is located in a horizontal position on the wall some distance below the ceiling 23. Obviously, other wall structures may be formed using the metallic wall covering of the present invention. In any location, the slats I I may be made of such length that they will extend continuously throughout the length of a wall or separate strips which are in alignment endwise may be protected at the joints by suitable moldings. A-sheet of the wall covering may be readily divided longitudinally between the adjacent slats or the slats may be out either longitudinally or transversely by ordinary shears in order to fit the covering to the desired wall area. Owing to the convexity of the slats and their resiliency, it will be apparent that the wall covering is adapted to yield under blows which may be imparted thereto and to return to its original state without in- Jury when the pressure is released.

' Instead of mounting the metal slats Ii upon a sheet of cloth, paper or the like, they may be mounted upon a backing sheet of fibreboard or.similar material 25, as shown in Fig.5. In

this modified form of the invention, the fibreboard sheet, which may be somewhat flexible and of substantial thickness, has a series of parallel longitudinal grooves 25 rolled or milled therein to receive the edges of the parallel slats I I which are glued, cemented or otherwise secured in place as in the form of the invention first described. The walls of the grooves are curved to conform to the curvatures of the lateral edge portions and the intermediate parts of the transversely curved slats are bowed out beyond the backing sheet 25 so that they give the wall the resilient quality before referred to. This form has the advantages of the form first described except that it cannot be shipped and stored in rolls. In the use of this form of the invention, the backin sheet-may be cut to fit the wall and applied to the wall before the metal slats are applied to the backing sheet and these slats may be cut to the required sizes and ap-- plied individually to the backing sheet on the wall.

Although two embodiments of the invention and two examples of its use have been shown and described by way of illustrat on, it will be understood that the invention may be constructed in various other embodiments coming within the scope of the appended claim.

Iclaim:

A wall covering'comprising a plurality of thin, flexible, resilient metallic strips, each strip consisting of an arc in cross-sectional shape, said strips being adhesively secured at the concave surfaces thereof to a limp flexible backing with the longitudinal edges of the strips in close 1 proximity to each other so that said strips pre- I sent a substantially-continuous metallic surface.

CHESTER M. MAdCI-IESNEY. 

